In the prior art, bulk dry material was typically shipped in many different kinds of containers and then those containers were discarded after the bulk material was received by the end user and loaded into other bulk storage facilities including bins or the like. For many reasons, including cost, soft-sided, high strength, multiple layer bags have been recently developed and are gaining in popularity for the shipment and handling of significant quantities of bulk dry material. The inventor herein is aware of uses in the food industry where the dry material contained in the bag typically approaches 3,000 lbs., with a bag standing 3-4 feet in height with a square base between 2-3 feet on a side. For shipment, these bulk bags are typically skid mounted so that a forklift may conveniently be used to handle the bag by lifting the skid and moving the bag as desired. Strap-like lifting handles are typically provided at the four corners at the top of the bag, but the inventor is unaware of any use for these handles other than to facilitate grasping of the bag by several men for manually adjusting the position of the bag on the skid or the floor. These lifting straps are sufficiently sturdy to permit lifting of the bag and its contents thereby, and it is presumed by the inventor that overhead cranes or the like may be used in some installations for transporting the bags and/or contents within a plant or other facility.
Typically, at least in one application, these bulk bags have a pour spout integrally formed therein and located near the center bottom of the bag such that the bag may be positioned off the floor and on some type of weighing, batching, or mixing apparatus for dispensing of the dry material directly from the bulk bag. For these applications, it is typically required to lift the bulk bag and its contents from the floor or other storage facility, up and onto the particular piece of equipment being utilized to dispense the dry material. For these applications, it is particularly difficult for a forklift truck to lift the bulk bag and put it in place on the machine. Typically, as might be expected, the underlying skid cannot be used as it would block the bottom pour spout of the bag. Therefore, as best known to the inventor, the forklift operator typically scoops the bulk bag off the skid by placing the forklift blade beneath the bulk bag and the skid. This involves considerable risk of tearing of the bag or otherwise damaging the bag and thereby ruining it for its intended purpose. Additionally, these bulk bags can be quite unsafe when lifted to any appreciable height as the bag typically leans to one side and is unsteady, and the contents thereof may readily shift as the bag is lifted. Furthermore, movement of the bag tends to cause the contents to shift in an unpredictable manner such that the bag is not strictly aligned. For some equipment, this makes it difficult for a forklift truck operator to place the bag properly as limited space may be provided therefore in the equipment.
In order to solve these and other problems in the prior art and in order to facilitate the support and lifting of the soft-sided bulk bags by forklift trucks, the inventor herein has succeeded in designing and developing a bird cage-like framework which may be set over the top of a bulk bag to surround it, with the framework having four hook-like strap supports located at its corners to which the bulk bag's straps may be affixed. Additionally, a pair of rails comprised of inverted U-brackets extend along the top of the framework from the front to back thereof to provide a convenient structure to receive the blades of a forklift truck so that the framework may be conveniently handled thereby. Additionally, a bracket lip may be formed by a set of horizontally extending brackets surrounding the outside of the framework and immediately above the ground such that the framework may be lifted and placed onto a receiving bracket lip mounted to the user's equipment so that the framework may be used not only to support and lift the bulk bag and its contents, but also to mount it to a bulk storage and dispensing machine such as a batch weighing apparatus or the like.
As can be appreciated, many of the problems in the prior art have been solved by the present invention. For example, the forklift blades need not be shoved between the bottom of the bag and the skid which thereby eliminates risk of damage to the bottom of the bag and pour spout. As the bag is lifted by handling the framework, minimal physical contact is made with the bag which further reduces accidental tearing, or other damage to the bag caused by shifting of the contents thereof. Lifting the framework from the top causes the bag to "sag" and forces the straps to support the bag relatively evenly to thereby facilitate placement of the bag and framework on a user's piece of equipment. By placing the bag on a skid whose dimensions are smaller than the framework, the bag may be easily secured to the framework, lifted off the skid, and thus be suspended off the ground by the framework for easy placement on other equipment. Furthermore, the outer dimensions of the framework define an envelope required on the equipment for placement of the bag and which the user may rely on from bag to bag regardless of the shifting contents thereof or tilting of the bag on the forklift as is experienced in the prior art.
While the principal advantages and features of the present invention have been described above, a more complete understanding thereof may be attained by referring to the drawings and description of the preferred embodiment which follow.